"i would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding."
— john o'donohue

Monday, December 3, 2007

take back the night

walking home this eveningi notice the sky is that deep cold winter bluejust like i rememberand the thin wispy clouds come and go like pipe smoke abovemy own breath creates a shadow of fog behind meand the air is so frigid i wonder if it might shatter like ice in the windthere is something so familiar about this piercing chillsomething my bones will never forgeteven years after leaving the north countryyet on this solitary winter night i sense something is differentwhat is this peculiar feelingthis mysterious strangeness insidei seem to be missing something that for so long i have carriedwhat could i have forgottenand then it hits meto fear my aloneness in the dark tonighti forgot to check over my shoulderi forgot to strain my ears for the slightest wary soundi forgot to prepare myself for someone to jump out from behind those bushes over therei am making my way through the lateness of this dark and icy night unconcerned with feari am alonehere and there others are finding their way through the winter darkness tooto fear them is not even a thought this timemy body feels strangely at homeno need for armor dear one she sayslet's simply walk home with a softness of ease tonightlooking up at the night sky and around at the naked treesnoticing how lovely it feels to be herehow free to be alive and unafraid

take back the night’s roots may go all the way back to 1877 when women protested the fear and violence they experienced in the night-time streets of london.others believe that the first rally occurred in 1976 when women attending the international tribunal on crimes against women lit candles and took to the moonlit streets of belgium to denounce the continuation of violence against women. since then, thousands of marches and rallies bearing the name "take back the night" have taken place worldwide.take back the night made its way to the u.s. in 1978 when protesters in san francisco organized by "women against violence in pornography and media" marched through the red-light district in protest of rape and pornography, which they identified with the sexualized subordination of women. the marches are often deliberately women-only in order to symbolize women's individual walk through darkness and to demonstrate that women united can resist fear and violence.

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Bodhisattva:

About Me

2007-2008: ...and so, for her thirtieth year, she is embarking upon a pilgrimage abroad...teaching english at a university in south korea, making her way to ancient buddhist temples nestled high in the mountains where monks and nuns rise early to chant and pray, relying on the kindness of strangers and a lightness of heart, and meeting challenges and fears along the way that she is ever-so-ready to befriend.
2008-2009: ...and now, for a second year, she is returning to korea....to her high rise sanctuary and an abundance of red pepper paste...to a vibrant, growing community of friends, students and colleagues...to not a day going by without some measure of surprise and unexpected kindness.
herein lies her journey...